Close Your Eyes & See
by scintillating stars
Summary: -"no one ever said leaving it all behind would be easy."- when perfection just isn't good enough or you're too big for the place you're trapped in, there's only one answer- you escape. and escape they did. au.
1. trailer

**[disclaimed]**

**-close your eyes && see-**

_[just close your eyes, and you'll be here with me._

_just look to your heart, and that's where i'll be._

_if you just close your eyes 'til you're drifting away. _

_you'll never be too far from me, if you close your eyes.]_

**him && her.**

**(one boy and one girl)**

**two different people.**

**(who just happened to be best friends)**

**from two different worlds.**

**(it's high school; what else is there to say?)**

**in one small, boring, and predictable neighborhood.**

**(everyone knew everything about everyone else)**

**with one thing in common.**

**they wanted to escape from reality**

**:~:~:~:~:**

**one typical jock with no choices of his own to make**

**(who to date, what sports to do, who to be friends with…) **

**one rebel who has no way of being who she wants to be**

**(because she just has too much enthusiasm for boring old winchester)**

**;;;;;**

**one boy who had everything any other boy could want**

**(but it just wasn't enough)**

**one girl who could live her life as an artist in their small litle town**

**(but it just wasn't enough)**

**:~:~:~:~: **

**one day**

**(april twenty seventh, to be exact)**

**they came to a conclusion**

**(well, more like a decision)**

**if they didn't escape soon…**

**(soon; as in within the next twenty-four hours)**

**they would emotionally suffocate to death**

**(they didn't like being told what to do or not to do)**

**but unfortunately…**

**;;;;;**

**it's **_**much**_** harder than they both think.**

**

* * *

**

**meet the characters-**

enter _T_odd _L_yons;

_T_odd _L_yons is on top of his game; his inbox is filled with invites to the latest parties and all the girls he could ever want knocking at his door, what more could this boy want? With the spotlight thrust on him and his father pressuring him to date that "pretty girl" _O_livia _R_yan for business reasons, he's starting to crack under all the pressure and craving for the real life. He's tired of everyone choosing everything for him, from friends to girlfriends to at what time he should arrive at parties, _T_odd's tired of acting like he's perfect, like he can't make mistakes. He needs to live and act like a normal teenager without the constant pressure to be perfect, he needs to breathe and be free from it all. _T_odd wants out and out he's going to get.

-what happens when perfection just isn't good enough anymore?-

add _N_ikki _D_alton.

_N_ikki _D_alton is the type of girl who will dye her hair with multicolored streaks, no matter if _O_livia _R_yan and her posse of _c_lones shoot her dirty looks. She is the type of girl who will spray paint the superintendent's car hot pink and sign her name all over it. She is the type of girl who will sneak out (even if she's grounded and threatened by her parents to send her to military school) and TP her cranky math teacher's house. She is the type of girl who will wear Juicy Couture sweats to formal wear prom and rock it like nobody's business. Troublemaker and rebel just begin to cover who _N_ikki _D_alton is, she's destruction in the prettiest form, and her appearance just screams danger. (Even the local police have her under their records as worst juvenile delinquent.) When she gets tired of the life in Winchester and wants to go after her dream of being a painter, Nikki devises a plan with Todd to escape, but this time the stakes are going to be _high_.

-when you're too big for the place you're trapped in, all there's left is escape-

meet _O_livia _R_yan.

This girl is the reason you check your outfit a million times to make sure it's _ah-mazing_ (_O_livia-lingo). The reason you make sure not one glossy strand of hair is out of place, no makeup imperfections are clouding up your face, that your skirt isn't riding up. Because you can't afford a sharp, cutting-to-the-core glare coming from those cold storm-colored eyes of her's. With sunny Californian looks, rows and rows of credit cards begging to be broken in, and that sinister trademark smirk of her's, _O_livia _R_yan has the whole school at her manicured feet. She's the uncontested ruler of _B_riarwood _A_cademy and no one dares stand up to her, for the fear of being socially ripped apart is too big. So what happens when she overhears the plans of the loser (a threat really, but she'd rather die than admit _that_) _N_ikki _D_alton and the hottie that every girl wants but she can't seem to get _T_odd _L_yons are formulating plans to escape her perfectly and orderly little kingdom?

-what happens when everything you worked so hard for is slipping through your fingers?-

mix in the _c_lones.

Better known as _O_livia _R_yan's puppies, these girls are at the top of the food chain but are sentenced to a dull life of serving _O_livia like faithful slaves.

First comes the exotic and beautiful but admittedly ditzy _A_licia _R_ivera. She's the second-in-command and follows _O_livia around like a dutiful servant, ahem, friend. With a brain the size of a peanut, this girl is the perfect beta because how could she ever bring the powerful queen down off her golden and much loved throne? Among the girls she may not be the most popular, but with the boys, that's a completely different story altogether.

Then comes the beautiful twins, _L_ivvy _W_ilder and _B_ecca _W_ilder, who are as sneaky as they are sweet and goofy. Both are superstars on the soccer field and kick-ass in any sport known to human. _L_ivvy is known for her rib-hurting humor and _B_ecca is infamous for how nice and wonderfully smart she is. These twins are at the bottom of the pack in _O_livia _R_yan's posse but unlike _A_licia, hate being down so low but have to cope with it or else they're off to Social Siberia.

-the ones who do all the dirty work as the ones that take the hardest blow-

never forgotten, the _b_est _f_riends of our main stars.

The ones that know _T_odd and _N_ikki like the back of their hands, the ones that can make them laugh no matter the situation, the ones who know all their secrets and support them no matter what.

_L_ayne _A_beley and _S_kye _H_amilton are the best friends of a certain gal and together the three grew up in the same neighborhood. These three beautiful gals have been through everything and trust each other to the extreme. All of them troublemakers and have no respect for school rules, they detest the populars with a fiery passion. _N_ikki knows their secrets as they know her's, but is there something she could be keeping from them?

_D_anny _R_obbins and _C_hris _P_lovert are _T_odd's right hand men, brothers from other mothers, his guys. Grew up together through mud fights, video game tournaments, and heartbreaking crushes, these three boys are inseparable and share many things together. _D_anny and _C_hris are somewhat players and somewhat wrapped in popularity and haven't been the best of friends as of recently and _T_odd is getting sick of it all. Could this cause him to hide something that could alter his reputation from them?

-just because they're your best friends, don't mean they won't judge you-

and throw in the prying student body of _B_riarwood and their constricting families and see what mess you've got.

-no one ever said leaving it all behind would be easy-

* * *

**author's note:**

**lisa; eep! a new multi-chap story! damn i still have 9 (not exaggerating) stories to update... but oh well. this one takes priority because it's a collab with the ever awesome and fantastic... -drum roll- darling! anyway, hope you guys like this trailer and character introduction(:**

**darling; hello people, this is one of the first stories i've updated in a long timee. but anyways, this collab is with the ever amazing, ever fantastically cool, (and my twin) LISA! xD soo y'know, hope you guys like it and enjoy!**


	2. the dawn of new beginnings

**[disclaimed]**

**chapter one;**

**-the dawn of new beginnings-**

_**todd.**_

Running his long and slender fingers through his tousled bronze hair, Todd tiredly walked to his locker with his head down, letting his hair fall into his eyes. As he spun the combination to his standard turquoise locker, he saw Olivia Ryan and her posse of clones strutting up to him. _Oh, hell_, he mumbled to himself as he slowly started unpacking his Jansport backpack.

"Hey, Todd," Olivia literally purred when she reached him. Her bright eyes pierced him as she brushed a stray lock of hair away from his eyes and Todd shivered, this was really uncomfortable. "How's everything?"

"Fine, fine. Just peachy." He fought the strong urge to roll his eyes at the most popular (and not to mention bitchiest) girl of the prestigious Briarwood Academy and probably of all Westchester.

Todd let his eyes stray to the other members of Olivia's unnamed but infamous clique and he could see Alicia Rivera pushing out her enormous chest and shooting him a flirty wink behind Olivia's back. He grimaced and got out the books he needed for next period, ignoring Olivia's desperate attempts at conversation and hummed the tune of Dance Little Liar from the Arctic Monkeys.

"Look, Livs, I have to go to AP Calculus, okay? I'll see you around," Todd nodded at the (admittedly) beautiful blonde and avoided her questioning storm-colored eyes. Muttering a goodbye to the rest of her clingy posse, he walked away from those leech-like girls and entered his favorite worst subject just seconds before the annoyingly piercing sound of the bell resonated throughout the impressive academy, signifying the start of first period.

Mrs. Bumble (lovingly nicknamed the Bumblebee by her students because she loved to dress in stripes and had an overall curvy body that added up to the appearance of a bumblebee) shot him a dark look and he chuckled, the fact that his father was one of the biggest donators to this school was only one of the many reasons he never got in trouble. Todd chose a seat in the back where everyone knew the Inner Circle kids sat. He could feel the looks of lust and hunger from the prying eyes of the female half of his classmates and he had to struggle not to roll his eyes and make some rude remark of how they were all attention-whores, of how all they wanted was power and status, of how they all disgusted him.

Todd sighed and tuned out whatever shit the teacher was teaching them, it's not like he would ever need to know it ever again in his life after exams. He stared outside the window at the clear skies. Spring had just ended and the weather was in this weird in-between state where it wasn't rainy and cloudy spring or hot and humid summer. There were fluffy white clouds floating in the pale blue sky and the sun was shining brightly above their heads but occasionally there would still be rain showers in the middle of the day. Todd loved this kind of weather because it meant he could both dance in the rain with his best friend, Nikki, while also not having to worry too much about being rained in on during soccer practice. He couldn't wait until lunch, where he would meet up with Nikki in their secret hang-out spot in the deserted, unused apple orchard. No one from The Inner Circle had his lunch period and he didn't mind spending some extra time with his best friend, so it all worked out. They would make lame jokes and exchange parts of their lunches, like they always did; Nikki was one of the only stable things in his life that he actually enjoyed. Other than her, everything was just too... how could he describe it? Too uneventful. He had typical Westchester parents, typical Inner Circle friends, typical trashy girls trying to hook up with him, and everyone knows perfection never lasts...

"Todd Lyons, are you listening to a _word_ I've been teaching this whole class?'" Mrs. Bumble asked, annoyed when she realized Todd was looking out the window with glazed-over eyes.

"Yeah, we're talking about... meiosis and the cell cycle?" He took a random guess at whatever the hell they could be learning about.

"Todd, this is calculus class, not biology." Mrs. Bumble said admonishingly, taking a deep breath before starting a definitely boring lecture and the whole class groaned.

Luckily, the shrill bell rang again before Todd had the chance to hear that lecture, so he gathered his things and dashed out of the classroom, silently thanking God for his good luck.

**: : : : :**

_**nikki.**_

Attempting to tame her impossibly frizzy multicolor-streaked albeit dark hair and walking down the insanely long hallway to her favorite class, Nikki thought about how her day had been so far. She had been about ten minutes late for homeroom because her alarm hadn't gone off in the morning so she had to skip breakfast. In homeroom, the Inner Circle's bitches smirked at Nikki's simple choice of clothing, choosing to go with an Arctic Monkeys' graphic tee, distressed dark wash skinny jeans from Aeropostale, and black Converse. After rolling her eyes at their pretentiousness, she had opened up her favorite book of all time, Pride and Prejudice, and started reading, immersing herself in the fantasy world instead of reality.

After that, Nikki had AP History where she had almost fallen asleep as she listened to her old-fashioned teacher go on and _on_ about English exploration and how Sir Francis Drake had defeated the infamous Spanish Armada. Bored out of her mind, she had discreetly opened her worn-out sketchbook underneath her textbook and sketched a drawing of a guy and a girl watching the sunset, all the while trying to convince herself that she was _not_ drawing herself and Todd, just some random people. And now, Nikki was rushing to Art, where she would continue her surrealism painting that her class was working on now. Her day had been okay so far, she decided. It definitely could've been much worse.

Dashing into the room right before the bell rang, Nikki flashed a sweet smile at her favorite teacher, Mr. Peterson, who was in his thirties and taught with an energy that none of her other teachers had. She put her backpack down by her usual desk with Layne and Skye, two of the only people Nikki could trust in this hectic town of lies and deception. Honestly, if gossip was beer, their whole high school would be drunk and hungover twenty-four seven. Heading to the paint area, she poured some of each color into a palette and brought it back to her desk where her painting was waiting for her.

Before she sat down, Nikki stood back and looked at her painting. Her canvas currently had a black background covered with her favorite quotes written with silver paint in her loopy cursive. On the layer above the background was a portrait of herself wearing a tank top and denim short shorts hugging a tree, showing her environmental side. Next to that was a painting of her, Layne, and Skye wearing sunglasses and making snobby faces at the camera. Above their heads was a rainbow floral pattern in the pattern of a broken heart, showing that even broken things could be beautiful. There was still plenty of empty spots on the canvas though, and Nikki quickly set to work filling them. She continued working on her art project while simultaneously chatting and laughing with Layne and Skye.

Time flew by and before Nikki knew it, it was time for lunch. She barely concealed her squeal of excitement as she skipped out of the room towards her and Todd's secret hang-out place. Other than Art, lunch was her absolute _favorite_ time of the day because it was the only time during the day that she could talk to her other best friend. Nikki absolutely despised his asshole friends and their bitchy girlfriends, and despite how much he claimed he wanted to give up his popularity for her, she knew his parents would kill him and the Inner Circle wouldn't just ignore him like they did to her, they would set out to make his life miserable. She couldn't let him go through that shit, so she had to settle for only seeing him once a day at school and having their weekly ice cream trips.

Shaking those depressing thoughts out of her head, Nikki continued her way to the lunchroom, only to be stopped by Olivia Ryan and her entourage. Confused, Nikki looked through the group of immaculate teens for Todd. He wasn't there.

"What do you want, bitch?" Nikki drawled, examining her already-chipped neon green nails, not bothering to stifle the yawn that was building up in her throat. Talking to the bitchiest girl of all Winchester was seriously killing her buzz.

"Cut the bullshit, Nicolette. We know what you're hiding; we know you're best friends with Todd. We're disappointed in him for being friends with _you_." She wrinkled her nose as she gave Nikki a once-over. "But anyway, we're willing to forgive you guys and not make your lives miserable, on one condition…" The blonde trailed off here.

"What? For me to never talk to him again?" Nikki replied snarly but she could feel the nervous undertone in her voice give her away, as she tried (and failed) to ignore the tears building up in her cerulean eyes.

Olivia's nauseatingly beautiful face broke into a smirk and her pretty storm-like eyes lit up with a mischievous spark. Nikki sighed, rolled her eyes and waited for the irritating blond to continue. "Hold your horses, Nicolette, I'm not that evil. _Of course_, I'd let you talk to Todd. Just on one condition." A beautifully evil smirk played on her lips and Nikki gritted her teeth at the sound of her real name, she hated when people called her that and Olivia knew it. "All you have to do is get Todd to ask me out, tell him what a wonderful and nice and charming person I am, tell him that you'd simply _adore_ it if he would fulfill your wish of him and I going out together."

Olivia let out a mocking laugh at Nikki's crestfallen expression and her clones tittered behind her, their mean laughs and snickers mingled with the chattering coming from the cafeteria and all Nikki wanted to do was run to the orchard, so far away from these evil, beautiful bitches and throw herself into Todd's arms and cry until there were no more tears. Olivia turned on her heel with a wiggling of her fingers and a high-pitched, sarcastic _toodles!_ while Alicia Rivera shot her a death glare and walked behind her leader like a faithful puppy.

The sporty superstars of Olivia's clique remained before her and Nikki didn't stop the tears spilling down her cheeks, she'd just didn't care anymore, because normally she wouldn't be afraid of Olivia and her flock of wannabes, normally she wouldn't follow whatever stupid conditions or rules Olivia told her to do, normally she would bitch-slap Olivia and walk away laughing like it was the best thing she'd ever done. But this wasn't normal, no one was supposed to find out about Todd and her and their friendship and she couldn't inflict the horrible life on Todd that Olivia had promised if Nikki didn't follow her orders. What a laugh she must be having at finally getting the academy's rebel to serve under her and just the thought of that made Nikki want to scream.

"What do you want?" Nikki snapped at them and Becca Wilder, the sweetest girl in school, flinched at her furious tone. Livvy smiled uneasily and looked down at her limited-edition shoes of whatever prissy brand was in. Nikki pictured Olivia and Todd entangled in a kiss and it was all she could do not to scream at them and rip their glossy hair out.

"We're sorry, Nikki. There's nothing we can do. Whatever Olivia wants, she gets," Becca said softly as she played with her hands nervously and looked into Nikki's startlingly blue eyes in hope for a forgiving expression. And Nikki simply sighed because in those bright green eyes of hers, Nikki could see the same expression of frustration and helplessness that she'd seen on Todd's face whenever he talked about his frustrating parents, clingy and self-absorbed friends, and restraining, dull life.

Her face softened and she mumbled an apology. Becca's face lit up and she threw her hands around Nikki's neck in a warm and friendly hug. Nikki stepped back, a little startled and Livvy just laughed at her.

"Look, Dalton, we're sorry for how Olivia treats you and I hope that someday we can make it up to you." Livvy half-smiled at Nikki and took her sister's hand to let her know it was time to walk back. "We have to get back now, Olivia will be wondering where we went. I hope everything works out for you and again, we're sorry." Becca waved goodbye over her shoulder and shouted out some encouraging words Nikki's ears couldn't catch.

Nikki just stood there, a little shocked that some of the Inner Circle bitches did have hearts or something close to that. She was brought out from her stupor by a pair of muscular arms wrapping themselves across her petite body and Nikki spun around to find a pair of eyes the color of the ocean when the sun sets, kind of like an indigo color, and that breathtaking, easy-going lopsided grin of his.

"Hey Niks. I thought you'd ditched me," Todd shook his light red hair that was sort of a bronze-copper color in the sunlight out of his eyes and Nikki could detect a pinch of worry of in those beautiful eyes of his. She smiled reassuringly up at him, her heart fluttering at the idea of him caring so much about their (not-so) secret (anymore) hangouts, no matter how clichéd that sounded and Nikki Dalton didn't do clichés, you know.

Turning away from those damn intoxicating eyes and that heart-melting smile of his, Nikki shook her head with a soft smile on her face, like she wouldn't ever do that (and to tell the truth, she wouldn't). She slipped her hand into his in what was supposed to be a friendly gesture and ignored the bursting feeling in her stomach, dismissing it as dread over not finishing her English homework early. But even she knew that was a poor excuse; because really, when does Nikki Dalton do her _homework_?

Todd started to belt out the lyrics of their favorite song, Her Eyes by Pat Monahan, and he squeezed her hand as he started skipping and swinging their hands forward, dragging Nikki with him. As he got to the chorus, all Nikki could think about was if Todd really thought about her like that. She was just curious, that's all.

When they finally made it out the doors and slipped into the orchard through a break in the fence, free from the view in the cameras, was when Nikki took a deep breath and let out a loud "race ya!" as she dropped his hand and started zipping in between the trees. Todd laughed and chased after her, his hair spraying out like fireworks, the seconds of the golden afternoon melting into each other and soon enough it was time to go back into the pretty little prison they had to call school.

Nikki panted as they slowly walked back, their laughter still echoing through her mind, and that longing, bursting feeling of staying in that one golden moment forever pumped through her blood. As they passed the usual hangout spot (the water fountain smack-dab in the center so everyone could view them), Nikki's chest tightened and she remembered Olivia's horrible, horrible condition or else Todd's life as an Inner Circle kid would be over. Forcing a fake, bright smile onto her face, Nikki swallowed and said the words that she'd never wanted to say:

"Todd, you know, I've been thinking. It would be nice if you asked out Olivia," Nikki wanted to cry right then and there but she made herself continue, ignoring Todd's sharp, disbelieving look. "I mean, she's been so nice to me lately, I think she's a truly great person and I think that you'd guys should go out. Could you please? For me?"

Nikki pulled out her secret weapon against Todd: her puppy face, the face he couldn't resist. Todd sighed and Nikki knew he was probably wondering_ why?_ but when he nodded, Nikki let out a girly, high-pitch squeal and threw her arms around Todd in false happiness.

"Thank you! Thank you! You guys will make _such _a cute couple, I can't wait!" Nikki squealed girlishly and continued to babble about getting Olivia roses and what not, all the while wanting to scream inside and tell him how this was all fake, ignoring his did-someone-brainwash-you? look.

Her heart was breaking and Todd couldn't ever know.

**: : : : :**

_**todd. **_

With fresh (clandestine) memories of thrown apples, lighthearted laughter, and Nikki's bright blue eyes sparkling in the warm sunlight and her wind-blown braids twirling above her head as she ran, danced across his closed lids and all he wanted was to ask _why_ was he doing this.

Olivia's grayish-bluish eyes bore into his and he noticed how they sparkled with fake transparent tears as she shrieked out a _yes! a thousand times yes!_ and Todd remembered Nikki and how much she liked the movie _Pride and Prejudice. _Olivia threw herself into his strong arms and Todd wrapped them around her body awkwardly, wishing that Nikki hadn't made him promise, because the last thing he would ever do was to break a promise to her. There was just something in those beautiful eyes of hers, like a secret hidden deep in the depths of that cerulean ocean, and he just had to agree to whatever she asked.

"You have no idea, Todd, how much I've been waiting for this moment," Olivia's lips whispered into his skin and he groaned inwardly, all he wanted was to get home, go to the park with Nikki, and lose himself in the moment as he often did. Instead, he was going to go on a date with a bitch that he had absolutely no feelings for, but for some reason was oddly infatuated with him.

"Uh, yeah, I know what you mean, _Livs_. I feel the _exact same_ way." Todd swallowed the lump in his throat and closed his tightly as he ran his fingers through Olivia's corn-hued hair, the silky straightened strands slipping through his fingers easily and if he concentrated hard enough he could feel Nikki's wildly streaked, shiny dark curls. He whispered sweet-nothings (that really meant just that, _nothing_) into Olivia's glossy head of hair, all the while wishing that it was Nikki he was holding in his arms, her shockingly blue orbs trapping him in their spell.

Todd shook his head from those wonderful albeit silly thoughts about his _best friend_ (and she was meant to stay just that, nothing more) and forced a bright smile on his face, taking Olivia's well-manicured hands and leading her to his car for a 'special-just-for-her' date he had planned, thinking, _I'm doing this for you, Niks. Only for you. _

His eyes didn't catch Olivia's triumphantly evil smirk that splayed across her lips for just a few seconds, before returning to their usual I'm-so-innocent smile.

Sometimes, he did wonder why he was cursed to such a life.

_And yes, he did know he was weaving a tangled web that would eventually catch up to him and make him regret his decisions._

/

**lisa: greetings, ff world. yes, we are back. yes, we are updating. and yes, we are most definitely sorry for the delay! we have both been busy, but hey, at least it's up now! hope you enjoyed this chapter & there is definitely more drama to come. :) review?**

**darling: ****hello fanfiction people! sorry for not updating in such a **_**long**_** time, that was my fault -blushes- but better now than never, righhhht? xD anyway, any concrit is welcomed & please don't favorite without reviewing! this is dedicated to my dear friends tash & angela & lisa (who i bailed, sorry again!), who are just amazing, yeah? (: so review away and thank you for reading! -darling. **


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